IMAGE:Mlab cusing systems from Concept Laser will be assembled at a faster pace thanks to an expanded production facility. (Image credit: Concept Laser)
Laser additive manufacturing (LAM) and specialty laser metal melting company Concept Laser (Lichtenfels, Germany) has expanded its Lichtenfels LAM system assembly capacity with a new production facility designed to meet the growing demand in the market for its advanced generative laser melting technology called LaserCUSING. The new 37,000 square-foot production facility allows Concept Laser to increase its machine output by a factor of 2.5 compared to the previous year.
RELATED ARTICLE: How does additive manufacturing 'stack up' against subtractive methods?
"We have experienced highly dynamic growth in the USA," said Frank Herzog, CEO, Concept Laser. "The primary reason for this growth is the increasing demand from the aerospace industry which relies heavily on additive production technology, as a rapid method for building prototypes and production metal parts. As a result of the increased in demand for machines, we are expanding our production facility capacity. The new facility provides additional benefits to our customers. The design of our new facility allows for guaranteed secrecy for the increasingly sensitive projects, thus ensuring a high level of confidentiality to our customers."
Representatives of the laser melting system manufacturer stated that they are expecting a continuation of the massive growth in 3D printing (additive manufacturing) applications with metals. This will be driven primarily by the aerospace, automotive and medical and dental industries, with regional hotspots in the USA, Europe and parts of Asia.
The new production facility was built by the Hofmann Innovation Group, which will also be responsible for the future production of Concept Laser systems. The Hofmann Innovation Group has previously built machines for Concept Laser, so it was a logical step to take further advantage of the existing experience and synergy within the group, and a win-win situation for everyone involved. Concept Laser will lease the space in the 3500 square-meter production facility and be responsible for the commissioning and quality assurance of its own machines.
In addition to expanding its production facility, Concept Laser continues to strengthen its workforce to meet the growing demands for its LaserCUSING technology. Since 2012, Concept Laser has strengthened its workforce in production, development, service, and applications engineering divisions worldwide and has increased employees from 35 to 85.
And along with the personnel expansion, in 2013 Concept Laser opened a new Research and Development (R&D) center. The 670 square-meter R&D center allows for expanded testing capacity with dedicated development equipment for the LaserCUSING.
Finally, due to the growing demand for generative laser melting with metals in the USA, Concept Laser announced their plans to open a US subsidiary. Together with the existing subsidiary in China, and the company headquarters in Europe, this will place Concept Laser in prime locations around the world to support their growing customer base.
SOURCE: Concept Laser; http://www.concept-laser.de/
